Musical duo PNAU was set to excite a crowd of eager punters at this year’s Melbourne Cup, but fans took the opportunity to share what many were thinking. Forget saying “nup to the cup” - fans who flooded in to watch this year’s Melbourne Cup were all very quick to diss the pre-race performance by PNAU.
Victoria Racing Club declared on X that the Aussie dance music duo kicked off the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup “in style” but social media erupted with a very different reaction. “Awful. Love the songs but awful performance,” one person slammed on Twitter, shortly after the group belted out hits such as Cold Heart and Chameleon.
“Next cup let’s have fake singers run around the track instead of horses,” another person added. Plenty of fans also took the opportunity to share what many were thinking - no matter where they were watching the race that stops the nation, the songs sounded a little... off. “This PNAU performance is not good. Is it lip sync too?!” someone questioned.
Another person claimed the same: “PNAU lip singing their one known song. GTFOH.” “#PNAU clearly cant sing. That’s the problem with modern music - requires zero talent just a MacBook and some digital reused stings and auto tuned voices. How shit,” another joined in.
Racegoers were promised an electrifying performance by musicians Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes after enjoying global success with many of their tunes. Confirming their appearance at the cup back in September, VRC Chief Executive Officer Kylie Rogers said PNAU was the perfect choice to kick off the big horse race in Flemington. “Securing PNAU to perform and celebrate with thousands of racegoers post the race that stops the nation is truly exciting,” she said.
“We can’t wait for the guys to bring their incredible dance hits and energy to the Live Stage in The Elms on Lexus Melbourne Cup Day.” The entertainment didn’t tone down the excitement of the big race, however, which ultimately ended with a fairy tale ending when Half Yours, ridden by Aussie star Jamie Melham, crossed the finish line.
